Speakers: Scott Grove, Furniture Design: ScottGrove.comThe craftsmen community is at a crossroads, and this lecture explores technology and how it is redefining the definition of today’s craftsperson, with these questions to consider:

• Technology can expand our capabilities, accuracy, and production time, but the question is: are artists, patrons and society as a whole losing something in the exchange?
• Are craftsmen deceiving society?
• Does technology take away from a true craftsman?

In recent years these issues have presented a dilemma as advanced technology is becoming more accessible to unskilled makers.

I'd like to share my opinion and opposing viewpoints on this important topic. This will be an expanded version of my 2015 TEDx talk, the nine-minute edition is here. This talk had to be kept within the TEDx time constraints; I typically give this as a 45-minute lecture and leave plenty of time for Q&A afterwards, which is usually very lively!

About the Speakers:

Scott Groveis a self-taught seasoned woodworker known for layers of artistic expression and unconventional techniques. He maintains his own studio in the mountains of the Finger Lakes in western NY and has worked for world-renowned Wendell Castle as his studio director. He selectively teaches, most notably at the Marc Adams School of Woodworking and The Chippendale School of Furniture in Scotland.

He has four Veneer Tech Craftsman Challenge Awards, an unprecedented achievement. Scott has pioneered a number alternative veneering techniques including asymmetrical matching and veneering extreme compound curves. He has also won the NICHE Award for his trompe l’oeil wood carving, a DuPont Prize for innovative use of materials, and an NEA grant for sculpture. Scott has written for and been featured in a variety of publications including Fine Woodworking, Fine Home Building, Woodshop News, CWB, Freshwood2, The Artful Home and The Robb Report and appeared on Home and Garden’s HGTV Network. He’s authored two books: Advanced Veneering and Alternative Techniques and Edges and Inlays for Schiffer Books.